Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for considering this issue and reverting to us with a Government amendment which I am willing to accept. The concerns expressed by farming organisations on section 27 related to the requirement to procure the services of a veterinary practitioner where a protected animal needed to be put down, thereby incurring additional expense for the farmer. The revised amendment No. 26 will allow knackery workers or competent farmers to perform this task. Many farmers are as skilled as any veterinarian and are more than capable in this regard.

In my constituency of West Donegal it would take a veterinarian one hour and 15 minutes to travel to a farm in order to issue a certificate allowing an animal to be put down. One could not permit an animal to wait that long. I have witnessed instances of capable farmers administering injections to relieve animals of pain. In light of the wording of the revised amendment, we are prepared to support it.